Feds: Axle from duck boat in deadly crash 'sheared off'

ASSOCIATED PRESS

September 26, 2015

SEATTLE - The left front axle of the duck boat involved in a deadly Seattle accident was "sheared off," but federal investigators said Saturday they don't know if it was damaged before the collision with a charter bus that killed four international college students.

National Transportation Safety Board Member Earl Weener said the axle will be sent to a federal lab.

Weener said it's too soon to know how the axle was damaged, or if it happened before the collision.

Witnesses have said they saw the duck boat's left tire "lock up" Thursday as it swerved into a charter bus carrying international students over a bridge. Four North Seattle College students from Austria, China, Indonesia and Japan were killed.

Investigators are also examining the charter bus and two other vehicles involved in the accident - a pickup truck and an SUV. And Weener said investigators would determine what the drivers of the duck boat and the charter bus were doing for the three days before the crash.

The federal probe is expected to take months, and Weener said "it's way too early to say anything about a probable cause."

The investigation is being watched by other operators of the hugely popular duck boat tours.

The amphibious vehicle tours are offered throughout the United States and the world, including in Philadelphia, Austin, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and London.

It's the first time the NTSB has looked into a land crash of the amphibious vehicles, which critics say are too dangerous for city streets. The federal agency has scrutinized duck tour vehicles several times when they've been in accidents on water.

Federal investigators will spend a week or more on site.

State regulators also have opened an investigation, which entails inspecting all vehicle and driver records.

Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission spokeswoman Amanda Maxwell said the amphibious vehicle involved in the crash - known as Duck No. 6 - underwent regular annual examinations by a federally-certified inspector, most recently in 2015 and 2014, and met federal standards.

The state also reviews the company's fleet every few years, looking for systemic problems, Maxwell said. "So far, our investigators are satisfied with the maintenance records" of the duck tours vehicle, Maxwell said.

Meanwhile, 15 people remain hospitalized, with one in critical condition.